What is buried, want to stay buried
by JackB
Summary: DE-AGED FIC - After a battle, the team find Bruce turned into a child. Now they has to deal with this new situation until they find a solution or a solution find itself. (see Tags & Warning inside)


**\- Avengers -**

 **Title :** What is buried, want to stay buried

 **Author :** JackB

 **Warning :** Mention child Abuse, mention mark of abuse.

 **Resume :** After a battle, the team find Bruce turned into a child. Now they has to deal with this new situation until they find a solution or a solution find itself.

 **Ship :** None

 **Tag :** Bruce Banner, Bruce&Clint, Bruce&Tony, Avengers Team, De-aged, De-aged Banner, De-aged Bruce, Kid Banner, actual plot, Angst, reference of child Abuse, mark of Abuse, clumsiness from the Avengers, Barton is very paternal, Barton is the best, like a momma, Fluff, Thor healing power, Mental illness, DID, dissociative identity disorder, David Banner, Fury is kind of a dick, he has his reason but still, protective Avengers, Thor don't stay long becuse he go back on Asgard.

 **Word :** 15 000+

 **Time-line :** Before Age of Ultron

* * *

The mission was over and the Avengers were reuniting on the ruin of the town that had been destroyed in the battle. They were covered by blood and dirt, ripped and exhausted. The enemy had been enduring and the team didn't get a rest for over forty-eight hours.

Though, Hulk was nowhere to be found, nor Bruce for that matter. Both had been extremely important during the mission. Bruce was the one who modified all of their weapons so it could be effective on their enemy, and even with the specification, it required so much precision that even a computer couldn't achieve the thoroughness needed. Tony barely had been of any help, only Bruce had enough experience in the domain to succeed, it took him all his time, he barely had a second to go to the bathroom, so rest, even a minute had been thrown away with no respect. On the other side, Hulk had been, as always, the strike force, taking so much enemy at the same time. Without any or just one of them, the team would still be fighting, and maybe losing.

« Did Hulk flee again ? I don't want to pass the journey to search him. » Clint sighed tired.

« Nobody wants that. »

« For what we know he should still be around. The oversight team, did not see him leave the battle field and we got no report on the Hulk somewhere else. » Hill told them in their communicator.

« Well, if he is still around it should be simpler to find him. » Tony said.

« Where was he seen for the last time ? » Natasha pursued, practical.

« Near the cliff, to the North. I have a team down there already searching. »

The team begun to head to the North of the town.

« One of our snipers found a civilian. » Hill reported.

« A civilian ? We evacuated the city. » Rhodey frowned.

« That's probably Bruce.. »

« It's a child. »

« A child ? » Steve wondered a little harsh.

« What the fuck does a child does alone here ? »

« I don't know, a team is going for him.. Wait.. » Hill paused with a tone that made the team worry. « Huh, okay, so this child is around five, is almost naked and seem to wear a pants too big for him, same color as the one Banner wear. »

Tony laughed drily.

« Sure, are you saying _HE_ is actually Bruce. » He barked.

« No, I'm just reporting what my agent sees. »

« He can't be ? Right ? » Barton asked to the team in wonder.

« Of course he can't, he can't just turn into a child, he must be somewhere else. » Sam continued.

« Could be a form of magic. » Thor proposed.

« But what if he is this child. » Natasha said.

« So what, he turned back into a child ? How ? Why ? Doesn't make any sense. »

« It sure doesn't, but we evacuated the town before the attack, there was nobody left, we ran a life scan to be sure, and now we are reported an individual almost naked that seem to wear the same pants Banner had during the combat. Child or not, the shortest conclusion to draw is that it's Banner. »

« We can find maybe other explanation. » Rhodey waved off.

« Like what ? Bruce found a naked child in the ruin, gave him his pants and left him there without helping him ? Doesn't it make more sense to you ? »

« No, but.. » Barton shrugged.

« But what ? Once he turn back, one of his priorities is to cover himself and if he sees a child in danger he will always take care of them and take them to safety. He would never abandon them in the middle of ruin. »

« True. »

« We better go check it then. »

« The child started to move. » Hill informed.

« No time to waste, we must find him. »

Robert woke up and blinked a lot, waving his arm in front of him to push away the dust. He looked around. He was in the middle of ruin and debris. The floor under him felt so real, his body was sore and a little warm despite the fact he was almost naked and the pants he was wearing was way too big and stretched for his little body.

 _No, another of this nightmare. I want to wake up, why it happens again ?_ He thought distressed.

He noticed some walking sound and someone talked, it was coming toward him. An intense fear rushed over him. He had to get out of here, he couldn't be seen. Every time one of these nightmares occurred, he always woke up in a destroyed place and people searched for him. They wanted to do experiments and tests, he overheard soldiers said that last time. He always believed that the military would be on his side, but he heard what they said, « We want that monster ».

 _Monster, monster, monster_ , he was a monster and if they found him they would do bad stuff to him. He had to flee and hide until he woke up, he always finished to wake up, but until it happened he had to stay away from the bad men.

He got up quickly but tottered a little, he felt weak and tired. But despite this he ran in the opposite direction, climbed clumsily on the ruin and fallen on the other side, he was now out of sight. He rubbed his feet, the ground was full of debris, glass, gravel and other metallic bit. It was painful to walk barefoot on it, but he didn't had a choice. He heard more.

« He moved… Right, we head further to the North. »

Robert guessed it was the direction he took. No time to waste he got up again, his pants fell on his ankles so he took it in his arm, he would have to find something else to wear or at least a belt. He ran toward the first remotely intact house, which was already pretty destroyed, found a closet and searched for a belt. The one he found was too big and he had to make himself a hole that would fit his little body. At least now he would be able to run without holding his pants.

He barely had the time to finish that he heard steps getting far too closer of him. He ran toward the backdoor of the house, and crawled under what was left of it.

« He's here ! »

 _Shit_ , they had spotted him and they were coming for him. His fast heart beat made him feel nauseous but without a second of hesitation he continued to run away as fast he could. His little height was an advantage compared to them and their heavy equipment. At the first occasion, he hid inside a pile of debris where the entrance was just big enough for him. He rolled as far away as he could and covered his mouth with his hands to hide his breathing.

The soldiers in black passed in front of him but didn't see him. He waited for them to be far away to get out.

« We lost him again. »

He heard them says as he was climbing on another ruin, right now he was trapped and there weren't many places to hide or run, he had to found something else. The other side wasn't much better, very cleared and exposed which could possibly be worse. He considered his environment and headed for the place he judged the skimpiest. Adults would have trouble to catch him there. As he ran toward the place one of his feet hurt a debris and he stumbled, crushing fully on the floor. A whine of pain escaped his mouth. He still quickly got up and continued to run.

« Guys, did you hear that ? » Sam said.

« What ? »

« I didn't hear, but I saw him. You're close Sam, turn to the next left and you will find him. » Hawkeye said. He had quickly searched a high place to oversee the zone, whiles the team had spread in the zone to cover more fields.

Both Tony and Rhodey came closer to him.

« Where ? »

« There. » He pointed out. « He entered into the debris to hide. »

« Thanks. »

In an instant they were in front of the pile of debris. Tony ran a heat scan, despite the confusion of the analyze due to residues of heat from the combat he could spot Bruce. He was moving under the ruin and what was left of a long house. No adult could enter nor sneak in it, but a small child could.

~Jarvis, is there a risk it crumbles on him if he moves anymore or is it stable ?~

~It seems to be stable for the moment.~

~Good.~

« Bruce, everything is okay. You can come out. We're going to help you. » He said with his speaker so the boy could hear him.

'Bruce' last time they called him Bruce too. But why ? He was Robert, Bruce was only his middle name. Why everybody called him like that ? Only his mother used this name and only when his father was not around. It was disturbing and he wanted his mom right now.

But there were no ways he was going to trust this people. He was going to stay there until he found an opportunity to flee again. No adult could join him right now, so it was relatively safe.

« Stark, just remove the debris, we need to catch him first, we will reassure him later. »

Sam came closer to them.

« Do you know where he is precisely ? »

« Just here. » Stark pointed.

« But he is moving now. » Rhodey added.

« You both clear the way and I caught him ? »

« Let's do that. »

 _No way_ , did they have a quick way to move away his hiding spot ? It was bad, he needs to get out of here. He continued to move under the debris, some zones were dead-end and he had to find other places to pass. Despite being small and thin he sometime still had trouble to sneak. And he saw shit with both the relative darkness and the dust that was stirred each time they moved the ruin above him.

The Iron duet was careful with Jarvis to be sure the structure was stable enough when they removed something so it didn't fall on the boy. Tony removed a big piece of walls and finally revealed Bruce. In an instant Sam flee to him but could only caught his arm with the way he had positioned and moved himself. He pulled him out of the floor, but barely four seconds after he caught him, he lost his grip and saw the boy fall on the floor, if the high hadn't been important it was still enough to pull out a painful cry from Robert when he hurt the floor.

« Why the fuck did you drop him ? » Tony barked loudly whiles trying to deal with the heavy part of the wall he was holding. « Are you insane ? » He roared.

« He slipped out of my grip. » Sam barked back after the surprise made him kind of lose control of his wings.

Rhodey landed and open his armor, it was going to be less scary for Bruce to have a human in front of him than a full plate armor.

« Like a snake ? » He asked why walking toward Bruce.

« Like a eel yeah. »

« You're not efficient as a bird of prey. » Barton mocked in the comms.

« Fuck you. »

Though Rhodey maneuver didn't have the expected result. The young boy crawled away from him. And even when he crouched in front of him, his hands up in a calming gesture, it didn't do anything to relax the terrified face the boy was wearing.

Robert recognized the uniform and the medal the man he had in front of him was wearing. American army, it was the same one who tried to catch him last time. He crawled away and once he could he got up and ran again.

« You're talking about snakes ? I'm good at catching snakes. » Thor landed in front of the boy, and Robert bumped so hard into him he fell on the floor in a grunt.

He watched over him, scared by how imposing the man was. Was he going to use his hammer on him ? But his quick thoughts were cut and he jumped in surprise when he heard a huge sound coming from his left. The man in the red metal suit just thrown away the wall he had been holding. He had no idea how he was going to escape them, they came from everywhere and they weren't regular.

« Sorry, young man, I didn't mean to hurt you. No need to run away, you're safe with us, we're friends. » Thor said in a warm calm voice, he tended his hand toward Robert to help him get up.

 _Bullshit_. His eyes focused on a sort of trap in the pavement, it was already kind of open since the ground had been shaken previously. Maybe it was his way out. He crawled under Thor legs and tried to run toward it, but a huge arm grabbed him at the waist and pulled him out of the floor.

« Ola, no, no. No more running. » Thor said. « Worry not, we are going to find a way to fix you Bruce, get you away of this magic. »

His chest felt crushed under his terror. They caught him ! And now they were going to fix him ? Like his father wants to fix him. No way !

He tried to fight the embrace, but was stuck by this strong arm.

« Thank God, we can go back to the Tower now. » Tony breathed, relieved.

Thor patted his hair.

« Relax, everything is okay. »

Robert steadied a little and stopped fighting, his eyes were low, he didn't want to see any of these men, they were too scary.

« Good, very good. You understand we are not going to hurt you ? » Thor said as he felt the young boy shiver under his grip.

Robert hesitated an instant but nodded positively.

« We are friends. » It was both an acclamation and a question.

He nodded again.

« If I put you on the ground, you stay calm and you come with us ? »

Once again he complied. In the mouth of the wolf the best way to stay alive was to play his game.

« No, no keep him. »

« I think we can trust him to be sage now, no ? » Bruce nodded again eagerly. Whatever it took for this giant to release him.

« Good, good, very good. »

Thor gently put him back on the ground and at the instant Robert was free he ran away to the trap. None of the men had been fast enough to catch him this time.

« No way, you don't escape again. »

But he was already gone and running away.

« Shit we can't pass there, it's too tight. »

« Maybe Natasha could. »

« Why the fuck did you release him ? We had him ? »

« I thought we could trust him. »

« Well, now, because you trusted him we're back on the search. it's a big town how long it would take to search the sewer ? »

« Might take the night. »

« That's not sewers, that's catacombs. » Steve said.

« Catacombs, this town has catacombs ? »

« Yes, and it's a veritable labyrinth. » Hill confirmed.

« So now, how are we going to enter ? »

Natasha arrived.

« There is bigger enters, just search for the map, with some luck I will catch him quickly. » She entered the trap with some difficulty and barely thirty seconds later she continued. « Or not, I already have three intersections, it's rock here, not stepping mark to follow. »

« Make the enter bigger, we will have more chance to find him by following from where he started. I will go down on here too. » Hawkeye, who came down from his perch, said.

Finally, it's him and Sam who joined her in the catacomb, they split up.

« It's gonna be long. »

« Come on, we need to find other enter too, the faster we find him, the faster we go rest. »

« We need light, it's dark under and night is falling already. »

« Hill, you'd better put all your teams on the search. »

« Already did. The catacombs are pretty big and some places are dangerous even if they didn't suffer from the combat, the structure is pretty solid. »

It was soon, fifty peoples who searched into the tunnels.

Robert sat in a corner and covered his mouth with his hands. He better avoided making any sound, so nobody found him. It's been hours since he was in there. It was cold and dark, barely even a glow here and there. The only light he saw was the one the soldiers in black had. It was easy to avoid them since he could easily see them coming, but on the other side he saw nothing, he had no idea where he was, where he was going or what way he should take to get out. The number of times he bumped into a wall couldn't be counted and he often walked on obscure objects that just anguished him even more.

His legs were shaking from tiredness, he was hungry and terribly cold and each time someone passed close to him, he was terrified to the point he was sure someone could hear his heart beat. He tried to make as little noise as he could and until now he had succeeded.

But he could only keep up for so long. He was exhausted and the area he was in actually, had been pretty calm, no light, no voice, no foot steps. He could maybe take a rest, so he crawled in an alcove and hugged his knees. Silent tears fell on his check and he tried to warm up his feet under him, they were so cold and painful.

When was he going to wake up ? When the nightmare was going to be over ? He couldn't handle anymore. It was too scary, too dark, too cold, too bad. He wanted his mom.

He stayed crawled in his little corner for so long it just froze him. He could barely feel his body anymore, maybe if he felt asleep he would wake up ? Maybe it worked like that. But before he got the time to really doze off, he heard soft walking steps, no light, barely a breath.

Someone, something was here, he had to get out.

He got up quickly and walked as silently as he could while being fast, a hand on the wall to guide him in the darkness.

The figure was still on him, but at a relative distance, it didn't hurry on him. It was in a way far scarier. He tried to focus on where he was going, but the more he walked, the more he felt observed, followed. It was stressing him more than ever, until he reached the point where he couldn't handle it anymore. He stopped and crouched against the wall, his hands on his mouth to cover any sound he could make.

He had to play dead, maybe whatever this thing was, it would go away, leave him alone. He had to stay still and silent, if he panicked it could be over. But his appearance of control didn't stop tears from falling, he couldn't see anything, it was completely dark but he still watched everywhere around him, just in case.

The thing at stopped almost at the same time he did. He heard absolutely nothing more, only the common random noise from the wall he heard since he got in this place. But the steps, they had stopped. Still he could feel it, there was something close to him, observing him, it was still behind him, not moving, not leaving.

Then it moved. Barely, but he still heard something. He thought at least. He closed his eyes and tried not to shake too hard from fear. Then it got a little closer. Again. He had to move. It was going to catch him if he didn't move, so he got up on his shaking legs, still covering his mouth and walked as discreetly as he could. The thing was still here, not close enough to catch him, but clearly not leaving him. He was drowning in his fear.

How long was it going to last ? When was he going to wake up from this nightmare ?

He reached another turn, his hand followed the wall but touched something slimy and humid. He squeaked and backed off until his back hurt the wall. He cupped his mouth with his two hands and stopped breathing. He made a sound, he made a fucking sound, it was over for him. His eyes darted around. But not a glow of light helped him see something, there was nothing, just complete darkness. He fell on the floor, too scared to continue. He couldn't, he couldn't anymore. He wanted his mom, could his mom come save him from here ?

He focused on the corridors he came from, trying to see or sense something, he knew he couldn't but still. The presence was still here, he could feel it and it was way closer than before. He curled himself into a ball and started to really sob, he couldn't hold it anymore. He was completely shaking, his arm covering his head in a protective gesture. _Wake up ! Wake up ! Wake up !_

Too focused on his own misery, he didn't hear the foot steps coming closer until he almost felt something touching him. Well, it was going to touch him. Adrenaline took the ascending on his crippling fear and he crawled away in a whimper. He felt something starting to embrace him.

« Everything is okay. » He heard.

But he didn't register the words, he whined and jumped out of it as fast as he could. Something brushed his back but didn't catch him. He ran as fast as he could. He hurt fully the next wall with a huge cry of pain but it didn't stop him though, he just continued to run. On this new corridor, he stumbled into something and fell violently on the floor, another painful moan escaped him between his two sobs. He felt something on him, almost catching him again, _no way_. In an instant he was back on his painful feet and continued to run. Once again the thing brushed against his skin, but didn't catch him.

He bumped into three other walls, and avoided again, at each intersection, the corridors where he saw some light. He always chooses the darkest path. If he even could, he felt even more stressed. They were close, and he was not discreet enough they were going to find him now. He barely had any breath left, how was he going to escape them ? The panic made him make a mistake and soon enough he found himself in front of someone with a lamp, the person crouched and opened his arms for him.

« It's okay, it's over, we will get you out of here. »

He returned on his feet with this time in mind to choose the right path. But two strong arms caught him at the intersection. He fought immediately.

« It's over, calm down, you're safe. » The person said. He fought so hard that he finally freed himself from the grip and continued to run and run and run until he saw a soft light coming from the ceiling. An opening, he could get out of here now.

He grabbed the bar of the metallic stair and got up as fast as he could. They were on his tails, but maybe, just maybe he would wake up before they caught him.

Once he got out he barely even watched around him, it was still dark, the sun was just beginning to rise, he continued to run but fell again when his feet hurt a debris. He turned his head just to see a man come out too. He crawled away until he managed to get up and ran before being stopped surprised by the man in the chrome metal suit floating by the limit of the cliff. He took few steps back, turned himself to face again the man who pursued him. No, not this way. He tried the left but quickly stopped when he saw one of the soldiers in black barring the way, he turned on the other side and realized the place was surrounded. Everybody stayed immobile at their place, only the man who came out behind him was moving toward him then mid way, stopped and crouched in front of him.

« I'm sorry, we didn't mean to scare you, I didn't mean to scare you, I had to stay away the time the others took their place. We wanted to guide you away of the catacomb. » Bruce noticed he was holding night vision goggles.

So he saw him all this time.

« I'm Clint Barton by the way. You can call me Clint. » He took a soft, calm voice, something reassuring. « I'm really sorry it had to be this way, we didn't want to trick you in a trap, but really you're not easy to catch, we searched all night for you. »

Robert watched around, trying to find any way to flee. But nothing, no escape for him, not even the cliff, the guy in the metal armor was still around. Clint moved his hand to tell him to back off in the air a little more which he did. Robert took few steps back and some more when he saw more people coming out of the trap, the ones he saw earlier.

« Whoa whoa whoa, everything is okay Bruce, everybody is going to stay far behind me. »

And that's what the Avengers did, still staying close though, but beside Hawkeye nobody was closer than ten meters of Bruce. They all seemed tired. One of the SHIELD men armed a rifle, which only accented Robert terrorized expression.

« Really ! » Hawkeye barked at the guys.

« We need to sedate him. » Hill said in the communicator, taking the defense of her soldiers.

« You let me handle the situation. »

« We're just losing more time. » Clint rolled his eyes, this whole situation was messy and he knew it was the worst idea to deal with a scared child to have a bunch of people around him, cornering him without any chance of escape. But nobody wanted to see Bruce flee again. Everybody was exhausted and Hill didn't want to play with the Avengers plan to only let Hawkeye deal with the boy.

« I'm sorry for that, don't worry, nobody is going to hurt you or shoot on you. » He tried to calm the boy, which was not working. Robert face was pure distress. « Do you like chocolate ? You must be starving. » He pulled a cereal bar from one of his pockets and handed it to Robert, in an attempt to bring him closer. « It's been eleven hours since you started to run you can't tell otherwise. It's a cereal bar and it has chocolate. You can have it, and many others too if you want. »

Robert barely reacted to it. Oh yes he was hungry, but he knew far worse when his father deprived him of food. He was not desperate for it and he was not going to fall in that kind of trap.

« No ? That's okay, I put it there, if you ever want it, okay ? » He said as he threw the cereal bar between him and Robert.

It just made him more suspicious, if he really wanted to give it to him, it wouldn't have been difficult to send him at his feet, he wanted to bring him closer, and Robert was not having it. He didn't even watch the cereal bar, only focused on the man and his surroundings.

« How old are you ? » Clint tried next.

Robert didn't answer, he just held one of his arms nervously. His eyes stared at a blue figure, he didn't quite spotted him at first, too focused on everybody else.

« Why is Captain America here ? » He said for his first words in a little worried voice.

Steve ticked once he heard his name and advanced a little.

« Why does Captain America want me ? I did nothing wrong, didn't I ? » He asked a painful tremor in his voice. Steve presence seemed to bother him a lot.

« Huh.. » Clint began, raising his hand toward Steve so he didn't come closer yet. « Of course you did nothing wrong. »

« Why is he.. why.. why are you with the bad guys ? » He asked directly at Steve. He was even more nervous than before.

« I'm not. » He said a little awkwardly. Nobody quite expected that. In the back the others were also surprised and nervous but stayed silent.

« Yes, you're, you're with the black guy in the armor, the one with the military decoration. » He pointed toward the end of the cliff where Rhodey was still floating around.

« Oh, huh, why do you think he is a bad guy ? He is with the good guys. »

This answer seemed to put another level of stress onto Bruce, His eyes started to go wet and his chin trembled, but he didn't cry.

« Because everybody in a uniform is a bad guy, they.. They always want to hurt me. »

In the back Tony rubbed his face with one of his hands, they didn't think about that, they knew Bruce hated every military organization, they should have changed into something more civilian, but how could they know that Bruce wasn't going to recognize them ? All this was very confusing.

« Nobody is gonna hurt you, and you know, what I am wearing is also a uniform. »

« Yeah.. But you're supposed to be with the good guys. » He accused.

Clint turned to Steve in an attempt to tell him to calm the game because Bruce was clearly too stressed for the moment. Steve came closer and crouched beside Hawkeye.

« How old are you ? » Steve asked again.

« Seven. » Robert muttered. It felt weird for Steve because really, why he was talking to a seven-year-old version of Banner ? It didn't make any sense, and if it had, well, he was too tired to think of it.

« Alright, then you are a big boy Bruce.. »

« It's not my name. » He cut, his voice was still shaking.

It surprised everybody. Both Clint and Steve raised an eyebrow. Did they.. Was it really a random child and Bruce was somewhere else ?

« It's not ? » Barton asked.

« No, why are you all calling me Bruce ? It's just my middle name, only my mom use my middle name. »

« You mean.. You're Robert ? » Tony intervened.

« Yes. »

It was even stranger, because Tony knew how Bruce hated his first name Robert. Steve took a step forward.

« No. » Robert hurried. Taking himself another small step back after glancing at the chrome armor behind him.

« I won't come closer, but you can trust me Robert, nobody is gonna hurt you. »

The sun was rising beautifully, offering more and more light.

« Yes, you will, they want to hurt me, but I did nothing wrong, my father is wrong, I'm.. I'm not a monster, don't believe him. I'm just smart, that's all. I'm not a monster, right ? » He muttered the last word so low but Steve still heard it.

« You're not a monster, nobody believes that. » Barton said. Robert quickly glanced at the soldier in black.

« That's not true. » He accused once again.

« I can assure you, nobody here thinks that. » Steve reiterated, it was a lie, because yes, plenty of people saw Banner as a monster, due to the Hulk, but well, it was not the moment to say that to a scared seven years old.

« Then why are you chasing me ? Once you got me, you will torture me. That always what the military want to do to me. »

« What makes you think that ? »

« Because they said it.. The other times. »

« The other times ? When ? » Clint frowned.

« I don't know.. Last time I had a nightmare. »

« You think it's a dream ? »

Robert shrugged, his eyes focused once again on all the soldiers in black that was around. Then he watched toward the cliff again. And took enough step back to be at his edge, the chrome armor didn't move, but was watching him carefully.

« Woah woah woah ! » Clint hurried, he was too close of the edge.

« I want this to be over. » He cried painfully.

« It can be over very soon, we.. » Hawkeye stopped in his sentence when he saw an anesthetic arrow on the boy arm.

It barely lasted three seconds before he fell unconscious. Though he fell on the wrong side of the cliff. Hawkeye rushed on him and caught him in his fall. He was stopped halfway down the cliff by Rhodey who grabbed his shirt. Barton held the boy tight against him. Now he was fully gone, his little body so numb in his arms and so cold too.

« Thanks. » He muttered as they got up.

« Who the fuck shoot the kid ? » He heard Tony bark severely.

« I gave the order. » Hill said.

« How dare you, we got him. » Clint roared.

« You got shit, it was only going to last another long hour, we should have shot him once he got out of the catacomb. We played your way but it clearly didn't work. »

« We needed more time. » He barked before throwing his ear comms on the floor.

Steve came closer to him to check on Robert but Clint snarled a 'Back off' at him, to keep him away.

« Hey relax, we're in the same team here. » Sam said.

« I know, I know. » He breathed uneasy. « We must get him somewhere warmer, he is way too cold. » He held Robert close to him in a very protective manner.

« You bet, he passed the night, eleven fucking hours in the catacomb with barely anything on his back. » Tony rubbed his face with his hands. « Time to go home. »

They brought him back to the quinjet, Natasha didn't let any members of the SHIELD climb in the one they took. Clint was the one who took care of the boy, he barely let anybody else approach, even less touch him, except Natasha, who pushed stuff around to free one of the small couch they had, to lie him down. As the ship flew, Hawkeye rubbed his body with one of the blankets they had to warm him up.

« Tony, do you have any clue of why this happened ? » Steve asked.

« Still none, there was nothing with our enemy, no weapon, no device, nothing that could have provoked such a reaction. I have no idea. »

« He's not going to stay a child, right ? »

« I don't know. » He shrugged then turned to Barton. « How is he ? »

« He starts to get warmer, which is good, but he is hurt and there are bruises and mark that shouldn't be here. »

« With the amount of time he fell and bumped into things, I'm not surprised by bruises. » Rhodey said. « He was tough to run in the dark without having no idea where he was going at all. »

« No, that's not what I'm talking about. There's bruises with different healing state, and outside the recent scratch he also has healed cut and burning mark. Which shouldn't be here. »

« Let me take a look. » Thor said.

« I'm not sure you can do much Thor. » He said a little harsh, really barely letting people be behind him.

« On the contrary. » Thor ignored him and bent over the boy to inspect the injuries under the glare of Hawkeye. « Don't worry, one of my powers is to heal. »

He searched in a little pouch tightly tied to his belt and pulled out a thin powder in his palm. He rubbed his finger to spread some over Robert's injuries then slowly passed his hand over them, a soft blue-green glow emerged from the wound and they gently closed back and the nascent bruises disappeared.

« Why don't you heal the others too ? »

« It seems that I can't, it should have healed. If it didn't it means something else is holding them, something more powerful than my magic. »

« What the fuck does that mean. » Tony barked tired.

« It means it has to do with the mind. »

« Well, at least all the fresh one is good now. »

Everybody had now gathered around the young boy, wanting to watch Thor operate, despite Clint aggressivity.

« Isn't he a little.. Little ? To be already seven ? » Rhodes asked.

« Well, Hill's sniper judged he was around five, which would be coherent. » Tony said.

« You think he lied ? »

« No, he didn't. » Barton affirmed.

« Do you have kids Clint ? You seem overly protective, no ? »

« Maybe it's all of you who aren't protective enough. » He snarled back.

Natasha walked around.

« But why ? Why would Bruce change into a child ? » She changed the subject. « It doesn't make any sense. »

« I know, he never talked about something like that. »

« He didn't recognize us, well, excepted you Steve. » Sam pursued.

« I know it's weird. »

« Not that weird. » Tony said. « You existed and was popular when we were children. I know, my father talked a lot about you. He seems to have the memory of his ages, so technically he can know you, but us all ? Nope. »

« Great, he regressed mentally. »

« Oh no, not at all. It's just his memory, and well, whatever he learned after seven. Technically, since he doesn't seem to have brain damage, he is still the person we know, just huh, thirty decades earlier. »

« When is he gonna wake up ? We could ask him questions. »

« Nobody asks him questions straight once he wakes up, we need to build trust with him first. » Barton jumped right away on the subject.

« They used the same dose required to drugs his adult counterparts, so like over five times the limit, so it might take a while for him to wake up. » Natasha said.

« Really ? He is so tiny, why did they do that ? »

« Well, nobody ever expected Banner to need overdose to have an effect on his physiology, they probably thought the same. »

« But he is so small, he seems so weak. I understand why I didn't catch him tightly enough, I was afraid to break one of his bones. » Sam continued. « Like, look at his arms, its skin on bones. »

Barton gently stroked Robert's soft dark curls in a very motherly manner.

« I know, when I caught him in the catacomb, I thought I would break his ribs. » Thor nodded at these words in approvement.

« But why all the mark and other injuries ? »

« Did any of you ever read Bruce files ? » Tony said annoyed with a hint of provocation.

« Not really. »

« His father abused him and his mother. And that that's clearly abuse marks. »

« But why would he have mark that had occurred years ago ? »

« I don't know, but.. » Tony paused to think.

« What ? »

« Well, Bruce transformation into the Hulk is way different than what made the Capt' change into what he is today. » He turned his head toward Steve. « Your change is stable, all the time. You don't go back to who you were previously. » He turned back to the other. « While Bruce transformation is more or less chaotic and mind linked. »

« Mind linked ? »

« Yeaaah. Well, we all know he generally change for a certain purpose or on some emotions, it's literally the emotions that kind of lead to the Hulk strength and rage, so maybe it's the same here but with other reasons. »

« Well, it makes sense, if Bruce can change into a ton monster out of nothing, he could change into a child. But it's the first time we saw this, couldn't this really happen ? And what about the loss of memory ? »

« I don't know. Hulk always seems kinda aware of what's going on. »

« Could we read that as another form of the Hulk. »

« Maybe, I don't know, I will think about it, but first I need some sleep. » Tony rubbed his eyes.

« We all need to rest. » Steve said before putting a hand on Clint's shoulder. « I guess we trust you to watch over Bruce. »

« Yeah, leave it to me. »

« Yes, that too, why Robert and not Bruce ? He hates his first name. » Rhodey patted his best friend's shoulder.

« We will find out, but you need to sleep. »

« Yeah, yeah. »

The group installed themselves comfortably for the rest of the trip. Tony, with Rhodey at his side, made sure to have a direct view on Clint and Bruce.

Once they arrived at the Tower, Clint took the initiative to care for the boy. Nobody searched to stop him since he seemed very invested. Tony quickly briefed Pepper and she assured that one of the chambers they had was comfortable enough for a child as much as making sure he got clothes to his size.

All cleaned up and dressed in properly sized clothes, it's Barton who tucked Robert in the bed, covering him safely with a warm comfy blanket under the eyes of Tony and Natasha, the only one who did not call it a night yet, and Pepper who brought some stuffed animal and tucked them all around him.

« Should be good for the moment. We now have to wait he wakes up. »

And they did wait. Robert stayed unconscious until around 9 p.m. the next day. If Jarvis informed them of the new status, nobody came to see how the boy was. Pepper made it clear after she read what they had on Bruce, no men. Bruce, or Robert for that matter, wouldn't have an easy interaction with any men yet. If most masculine figure he saw had been abusive toward him while feminine one had been positive, his first interaction should be with a woman. So no matter how the men in the team wanted to know and see how the boy was, it was not for now.

Robert woke up with difficulty, a small night light was beside him, breaking the full dark of the room. Once he got his mind straight enough, he rushed to light on the lamp, before curling on himself, his arms around his legs.

Where was he ? What was this room ? It didn't look like a cell or a laboratory, it was actually pretty comfortable. Still he observed everything. He saw no camera, nor anything being out of the ordinary beside the apparent luxury of it. He saw an open door, leading to a bathroom. Oh yeah ! Bathroom. He rushed into it then focused on the other door, it was closed but it was surely the one leading outside. He tried to open it, but it was locked and took of the sudden anxious feeling, backed off back in the bed. Okay, all of this was disturbing. He never dreamed of that. Generally he woke up by now, the nightmare was supposed to be over, but it did not. And now he had no idea what he was supposed to do. He always ran away from people who wanted him, but now they got him, he couldn't run anymore, right ? He lost and maybe it was because of that he didn't wake up.

Maybe he still had to run. Find a way to escape, and then he would wake up. Yes, it should do, but for that he would have to find a way to open the door. And for that, he would have to find an object that could help him. He searched around for three minutes without finding something adequate until he hears a knock on the door.

He froze instantly and ran to hide under the bed.

« Robert ? Can I enter ? » Pepper asked.

He didn't say a word.

« I'm coming in. » She continued before opening the door. A strong smell of food perfumed the room, making him salivating. He was absolutely starving. The door closed behind her. She put the tray on the bed and searched quickly around. There were not many hiding places so she soon looked under the bed.

Robert tensed when he saw her, watching her with peering eyes not to lose any crucial information.

« Here you are. I'm Pepper and I'm your friend. I brought you food, you must be very hungry. » She said in a calm voice as she lied down on the floor to be at the same level as him. It took him some time to answer.

« I don't have any friend. You're not my friend. »

« That's okay, but I'm not your enemy either. » She took the tray and pushed it a little toward him. Two plates with omelettes, some carrots and sausages and fresh orange juice. « But what about he takes a bite together ? » She said. « We can learn about each other and maybe become friends ? I would really like to be your friend. »

« No, you drugged it. »

« And why would I do that ? »

« Because you want to experiment on me. »

« I do not. » She said in a reassuring voice.

« I'm not hungry anyway. » Which was a big lie considering how loudly his stomach was. He knew it, Pepper knew it and it was ridiculous.

« Alright. Is there something you want ? »

« I want my mom. »

« She's not here sweety, I'm sorry, but maybe we can figure out where she is. » it was tricky because if he stayed too long in this form, there's a moment where they would have to tell him, but for now, reassurance was the key.

« I want to wake up and I want my mom. » He repeated.

They briefed Pepper on the 'wake up' subjects. For some reason, Robert believed he was in a kind of nightmare. Again going against that wouldn't do any good yet, so she played along.

« Alright, and what do you need to wake up ? » She asked.

« I can't tell you. »

« That's okay. »

He curled a little more around himself, he still had sad, scared eyes. He was stressed and the only thing Pepper wanted was to take him in her arms and comfort him. Again, it was far too early to do such a thing.

« What are you gonna do to me ? »

« Nothing, nobody is gonna do anything to you, I promise. »

« That's a lie, I'm trapped here and you're just friendly with me so I fight less. »

« You're not trapped. »

« Then why the door was closed ? » He said, not looking at her anymore, his fingers nervously tangling.

« Because I wanted to see you before you get free access to the tower. And I hoped to pass some time with you. But you're free to go almost anywhere. »

« Liar. »

« Then I invite you to test by yourself, but before I strongly suggest you eat something. »

Robert now played with his finger on the floor absently.

« I want to present you someone. » She pursued.

« Who ? »

« His name is Jarvis. You can rely on him for everything. If you need to find your way to anything, you just have to ask. »

~Hello Robert, I'm Jarvis, very nice to meet you.~

Robert watched around disturbed by the voice coming from everywhere.

~Do not worry, I'm an artificial intelligence, I'm everywhere in the system of this place, if you need anything I will do my best to provide you with it.~

« You're really an AI ? Are you sentient and self-aware of your existence ? » He asked, curious.

~Yes, though, since I don't have a physical manifestation, I can't say I have sensation.~

« It's impossible. »

« Why ? » Pepper asked

« Because we're not capable to create an AI, technology is not advanced enough. You're all liars. » He accused harshly.

Both Pepper and Jarvis paused a moment.

« Of course we are able to create AI. »

« No, I've read it in the science mag last month, we can expect the first AI in ten years, but right now, no. »

« In what year we are ? » She asked. Robert frowned, feeling even less assured now.

« Why are you mocking me ? » He tensed a little more under the bed.

« I'm not. I just want to be sure you know in what year we are. »

« 1976. »

Well, it made sense now. Why didn't they think about it ? If Bruce.. Robert believed he was seven and didn't know any of them, he probably believed that they were still at his time. It was obvious he wasn't aware of the years missing, and none of them thought about it. She searched a way to save this mistake.

« That's right we are in 1976. But tell me, don't you think it's possible in your dream to have an AI this developed ? After all everything is possible in dreams. » He shrugged hesitantly. « And you saw Captain America. Isn't he supposed to be missing ? »

« Yes. » He said in a small voice.

« Tell me Robert ? Is the floor under the bed comfortable ? » He shrugged again, moping. « What about you come out ? We can eat something, and play, would you like that ? » He shook his head negatively and curled even more in ball, closing to everything. Sensing she wouldn't get anything more from him, Pepper took a retreat. « What about I let you alone ? I let the door open, you can go anywhere, and I let you the food too in case you're hungry, if you don't want to eat that, there's plenty of food here, you can have whatever you want. Also you can change clothes if you want, I've put you some option in the dresser, if you feel like it. » He still didn't react, so she grabbed a stuffed animal from the bed. « And here, you can take Réglisse with you, it's a German Shepard, and I'm sure he will be honored to be at your side to keep you safe. » She pushed the plush toward him as far as she could but he didn't take it. « See you later, okay ? »

She left, leaving the door wide open and waited to be outside his hearing range to talk with the rest of the team about what happened, even if, knowing Tony, they would have listened to the exchange.

Robert stayed curled around himself for a moment, enjoying the calm of the room. Nobody talked, he heard no steps in the corridor, nothing, it was very peaceful. Then he emerged enough to grab the plush and hugged it tight against him. Silent tears fell on his cheeks.

I want my mommy ! I want to wake up.

When he calmed enough, around an hour later, he crawled outside his hideout. He still had to escape. But first, changing into better clothes could be handy. He searched in the dresser and took the first thing he found. Then, once he was all good, with shoes on and all. He observed the corridors cautiously. His little curly head barely emerging outside to take a look, whiles his hand held tight the dog plush. He saw nobody, heard nothing, it seemed safe. So ten minutes after he walked hesitantly in the corridor. All the doors were closed, so he opened one, reveling another room.

« No. » He backed off.

~Can I suggest something ?~ Robert jumped in surprise and hugged the plush against his chest protectively.

« No. »

He walked around until he found the stairs.

~May I suggest you the elevator ?~

« Leave me alone. » He said a little anguish.

He walked down the stairs and was about two floors down when he heard a voice behind the door leading to the present floor. He froze.

« It's ridiculous, we shouldn't let him wander around. » Steve said, seeming to talk to someone before he opened the doors leading to the stairs. Robert ran down them at the second he saw Rogers, dropping his plush in the action. Steve made a move to pursue him.

« No leaves him alone, we chased him enough. » Tony said in the speaker.

« We never gonna fix the problem if we can't talk to him, he needs to change back. » Steve answered back.

« He needs to do nothing ! He is how he is. »

« You really think we can keep a child version of Bruce, without doing anything ? »

« What I'm saying is that we got time and we don't need to force a change, right now. »

« Tch. »

As he ran behind the young boy, Steve's feet fell into a trap and he stumbled on the floor.

« You forget it's my house. »

« Are you really putting trap everywhere ? »

« We never know when we need them. Leave him alone, even if we catch him, we can't force him to talk, it's a child, like Clint said, we need to build trust with him. »

« Yes and Pepper attempt didn't succeed. »

« It was one attempt, you don't win the trust of a traumatized kid that easily. »

Robert didn't even realize he was not pursued anymore. He just ran until he saw someone walking up. He quickly turned back on his steps and pushed the first door he saw before he continued to run. As he passed a corner, he bumped heavily into someone. Again it was like a wall, he fell completely on the cold floor. Looking up quickly, he recognized the man who chased him in the tunnels. 'Clint Barton' he'd said. He got up on his feet ready to run away but his legs felt weak and his head dizzy. His vision blurred and a sharp pain at the back of his skull drove him off.

« Woah, woah woah. » Clint caught him before he fell and found himself holding the unconscious child once again.

He took him in his arms and walked toward their main dining room where Tony, Pepper and Sam were taking a coffee.

« What happened ? » Falcon asked.

« He fainted. » It's Tony who answered, leaving his pad where he watched all the run.

« No wonder he hasn't eaten anything for two days. »

« I know we said that letting him move freely and all could help him feel less trapped, but huh, I hate having him unconscious in my arm. » He walked toward a couch and sat in it, still holding the boy tight against him. « Can someone prepare me some sugar water ? He might wake up soon. »

« Yeah I will prepare you that. » Pepper said.

Tony and Sam moved beside them when Natasha and Steve, who was holding the plush, entered the room. Tony glared at Steve, judging, he glared back.

« The trap need to go. »

« Never ! »

« Don't begin you two, that's a problem for another time, and you know that most of you will have to move somewhere else ? »

« Yeah, Yeah. »

« Maybe I could try alone. » Clint proposed.

« Are you sure it's wise ? » Pepper asked.

« I will stay with him. » Natasha said with confidence.

« Alright. » She nodded. « Everybody out. »

The wholes team except the two spies got out, Steve handed the stuffed animal to Natasha. He wanted to say something but stopped when he saw her murdering eyes. She approached of the two boys, a bottle with a sports cap in her hand.

When Robert started to regain consciousness again, Clint gently caressed his face and hair in a comforting gesture, still holding him tight. Robert blinked many times, melting into the touch of his mother. He openned his eyes and realized where he was. He did not wake up. He tensed a little, but Hawkeye whispered soft words to him.

« Everything is okay, you're alright, no need to worry. »

He wanted to flee, but he felt sick and weak. His body refused to move staying in a catatonic state, so he just lay down, numbly. His chin still trembled a little.

« Hey, hey, hey, big boy, everything is good, there's no danger. You're safe, completely safe with me. »

He continued to stroke his hair, forehead and cheeks as he whispered him soft, comforting words.

« Shhh, everything is okay. »

Robert curled a little, he felt cold. So Natasha covered him up with a plaid they had around.

« Look at what I found ? » She moved the German Shepard in front of him before tucking it in Robert's arms, he hugged it against his chest. « He stayed behind to protect you, and here you are, all safe. »

« You fainted, it happens when the body doesn't get enough sugar. » He took the bottle, shook it a little and opened the cap. « Here, it's gonna help you. »

But Robert kept his mouth closed, shaking his head negatively. His face was pallid and he seemed so tired with his eyes barely open.

« Afraid it's drugged ? Then look at me. » Clint took few huge gulps before he smiled back at Robert. « See, if it's drugged or poisoned , I too, will have effect. But I'm all good as you can see, so it's very safe to drink. »

Robert was more willing to drink this time, he barely took a sip, but it was already a huge step. Natasha was caressing his curls warmly to reassure him and with patience, they made him drink the quart of the little bottle.

« You're getting your color back, that's good, that's really good. » Clint said with a smile before kissing his forehead in a very fatherly gesture. Robert tensed a little and relaxed almost immediately. He never expected someone other than his mother to do that to him. It felt weird, but good.

« You did very well, I'm very proud of you. »

Soon enough the boy gained back some strength and moved a little more.

« What about we go eat something all the three of us ? » Natasha asked.

« Sound like a great idea. What do you think ? » Clint encouraged.

To be honest, he wanted to refuse again, but he still felt weak and was far too hungry to continue to run without eating first. So he nodded.

« You can ask whatever you want, we have everything here. »

« You can have waffles, or maybe pancake. »

« Eggs, bacon and toasts. »

« Cereal or maybe hot cocoa and croissants. »

« Steak and pasta. »

« Everything you want, no limit. »

« Yup you can have all that at once, what do you think ? Do you want something in particular ? »

« I want to see my mom. » He said weakly.

« Aw sweety, we know, we know. »

« I'm sure she would like to see you eat something, no ? »

He nodded.

« Alright. »

They got up and lead Robert to the table. The next part didn't get easy either. Robert gave no indication of what he wanted to eat, they had to guess, more or less based on some slight change in his face or on the movement of his hands. He never really watched them, his eyes were always on something else.

When finally they put a plate in front of him overly full with a croissant at the side some apple juice and a hot cocoa. Robert did not eat immediately.

« Come on, it's for you. »

« You can eat it all. »

Robert took his cutlery with hesitation, and Clint nodded to him while chewing his own meal. It felt weird how hesitant and scruting the boy was now. Like he waited to be screamed at or that he would get punished if he ate something.

It was agony to watch him be so slow to put food in his mouth and both Natasha and Clint stayed calm and encouraging to not rush him. The most funny is that Robert really didn't stop his starring even when he hesitantly chewed his first bit.

« Is it good ? » He slightly nodded.

« Good, you'd better eat all that before it gets cold. » Natasha waved at his huge meal.

The more he ate, the more he did it faster until he was in confident enough to absolutely engulf everything his mouth could contain.

Both the spy shared a look, because really, it was the same as a starving post-Hulk Bruce who really could eat phenomenal amount of food in no time. Still it was not that healthy and mostly not needed. Barton touched Robert hand to slow him down, which freaked him out.

« No need to go that fast, the food is not going to go anywhere. » He took a second more for Natasha to really click about what this was all about.

« Nobody is gonna take your food away and anytime you're hungry, you can eat, no restriction at all. I promise. »

He nodded gently and even if he did slow down he still ate very fast.

After that the three of them walked into another room with comfy couches and a huge screen to put on an animation movie. Robert in the middleof the couch, was curled around himself, his arms embracing his legs. But he barely saw the half of it before he fell asleep. Seeing this, Clint took him in his arm and lied on the couch before putting him on his chest, his head lying in his collar bones, with his curls tingling Barton's chin. Natasha covered them up with a good plaid and they continued to watch the movie. Tony and Pepper sneaked inside near the third part of the movie.

The billionaire crouched him front of them.

« Oh my God, he is so cute. » He whispered.

« Shhh. » Natasha warned

« Adorable. »

« I know, right ! » Barton smiled.

« What are you doing here ? »

« I brought him toy from my labs. »

Pepper showed them two box full of cables, screws, tools, metal bits and other stuff like that.

« That's what you call toys ? »

« Bruce told me he used to build complex object when he was young, I'm sure he is gonna like it. But Pepper made me bring some regular toys and books too. » Again she showed them some normal toys. « But I've brought better books. » He showed one named 'The physic explained at your dog when your cat is too tired for chemistry' another named 'The chemistry explained at your cat when your dog is too tired for physic' and a third involving a tardigrade doing mechanics. Clint frowned an instant at the title but Pepper caught his attention by waving at him some more regular child book.

« Hmhm. » He answered Tony.

« But that's for later, no way we wake him up. »

« I wouldn't let you. » Natasha whispered.

Tony sat against the couch and worked silently. Natasha and Pepper talked very softly while Clint put another animation movie on the TV. The four of them stayed quiet there. Hawkeye ended up asleep, a hand on Robert's back.

When Robert woke up it was to the soft sound of snoring, heart beat and Tony humming. This one was still unaware of the fact he woke up and so on Robert could observe him working in peace. See if he was of any danger or not. He didn't move more than his eyes, he was installed perfectly and moving could bring attention on him which was far away from his goals.

After a moment. The man with dark hair moved to grab a screwdriver on his side, his eyes drifted a second on the boy to see if he was still asleep, which was not the case anymore. He smiled and Robert tensed. Tony quickly grabbed the little mechanical bird he had made, that could open his wings in two different ways and handed it to the boy.

« It's for you ? » He whispered. « Would you like to help me for the manticore I'm making ? »

Robert manipulated the toy in his hands but didn't answer yet. Tony showed him the beginning of the manticore which picked Robert interest. He straightened himself and sat on Hawkeye stomach before he yawned.

« Hard to wake up uh ? » Tony said before handing a tool to Robert. He didn't take it yet but gently moved to get up and not wake up Clint. He kneeled at his side, elbow on the table and finally took the tool. Tony started to explain what they needed to do to make the mechanical work, Robert listened attentively and with Tony encouragement started to build the mechanism for the lion head.

At a moment they lacked some gears so Tony proposed something.

« Would you like to go to my workshop ? There's so many stuff to do there, we can build plenty of things. »

Robert nodded. Tony handed him his hand and he took it hesitantly. « Good. You see we will form a good team, you and me, Robert and Tony, sound good, huh ? » Tony said. « Let's go play some more. » His tone was joyful.

« Why are you chest glowing ? » The boy ignored what he had said and finally asked the question he has wanted to ask the last hour. If the subject wasn't Tony's favorite, he was still wonderfully happy to see him talk to him for the first time.

« I was wounded and this. » He tapped his reactor. « Is what keeps me alive. »

« Does it hurt ? »

« No. »

As they walked down the corridors, Fury made his appearance, followed closely with Pepper who maintained a formal face, but Tony could tell, she was raging.

« There he is. » Fury said, Robert hid behind Tony. He took him in his arms despite the boy being tense.

« What does he want ? » He asked Pepper directly, she didn't answer, only a look was enough to sell the whole thing. They had become good at this. Sam arrived behind them, clearly not here on purpose but he quickly got interested by the present situation.

« I would like to talk to Robert. » Fury said.

Tony felt how the young boy tense even more in his arms.

« I don't think he wants to talk to you. » He walked toward Pepper and passed Robert to her. « We were heading to my workshop, can you accompany him there ? I will join him in a minute. »

« Of course. » Despite Robert being seven, he was so small and thin that he barely weighted anything.

She left quickly, not without throwing a fire glare at Fury who followed the duo with his eye until they disappeared.

« I want him to come with me. » Fury commanded after he turned back to Tony, his tone didn't please the billionaire.

« He is none of your concern. » He snarled.

« Oh he is all of my concern. »

« I don't think so. » Sam said, joining Tony. Natasha and Clint quickly walked on them too, this time it was planned, Tony could see with the ways they were walking. Pepper must have warned them through Jarvis.

Fury focused quickly on them all.

« I waited long enough for you to fix Banner's problem. Now, he is still a child and it's the perfect occasion to study him. »

« I beg your pardon ? »

« Nobody is going to study anybody, Robert can't give his consent in this state. » Sam said.

« Must I remind you that Banner has no legal right ? We don't have to have his consent. »

« Are you really going to pull that lever ? »

« Listen, we might find a way to change him back, and I promise, no harm would be done to him. »

« That's bullshit, you put him under military care and they won't hesitate to test all their little ideas on him. We all know that. » Natasha roared.

« Ross would give anything to have his hand on him, especially if he is in a weaker state, like now and he will never be kind, I've seen what they want to do to Bruce if they can have his hand on him. No harm my ass. » Tony added,

« You won't touch him. »

« Listen, life is not pretty nor easy and there is threat every day, everything we can learn on one of them is capital. »

« Bruce is not a threat. »

« Oh really ? Outside the Hulk he has enough knowledge to create many and diverse world massive destruction weapons, he is a known anti-government resistant and if he decides to act on his belief he could do a lot of damage. That's why we keep him under surveillance. But let's not forget about the Hulk, the reason why he transformed into a child could be the key to control the Hulk. Any information we can manage to gather is capital if we ever need to stop and confine him. »

Tony took his provocative, falsely light smug. « Yeah why do we expect something else from you, you keep Bruce files in the weapons section. You don't even see him as humans. »

« I don't see why I should. »

« Really ? » Tony barked outraged.

« That's not how you treat Steve. » Sam pursued referencing the serum.

« Rogers can't blow up the world on an impulse and doesn't transform on an uncontrollable rage monster that can destroy whatever is on his way. »

« So because of that you want to torture a child. »

« We will not put him under any unnecessary harm. »

« Ohohoho, you really think that ? That help you sleep at night ? »

« What helps me sleep at night is knowing we do everything to be prepared for any situation that can happen, Banner and the Hulk are dangerous and somewhat unpredictable, we need to find solutions to confine them if it's needed. Anyway as I said, despite being an Avengers, Banner is too dangerous to let pass any occasion to learn more and him and his transformations. He has no legal right and therefore his freedom is due to our tolerance, I don't require any authorization to seize him. »

« Yes, maybe Bruce doesn't have any legal right, but Robert is different.. » They tried.

« No matter what form Banner takes he has and will have no right whatsoever. But he had been an asset to the team, we just want to test some theories, then he is free to go and as I said, we won't put him under any unnecessary harm. »

Tony paced a little before walking right in front of Fury, his arms open, provocative.

« Drop it off. We will not let you take him. I will not let you take him. Bruce and all in form as you said are under my protection ! »

Sam, Natasha and Clint walked at his side in emphasis.

« You can be on the research team if you want to be sure of what we do. » Fury proposed to Tony. « I'm sure I can manage to include you, but we need the child, none of you can argue the necessity of understanding better Banner's physiology. »

« Then why don't you ask Bruce, when he is in his adult form to let you work on your hypothesis ? » Barton asked quickly followed by Sam.

« Because first he would say no. »

« Second, he will never be easy to handle even if you push pressure points, and you hate that. » Tony continued and Natasha finished.

« And a child is easier to deal with, huh ? »

Fury didn't have the chance to argue back with them, Jarvis entered in the conversation.

~I don't think this discussion is relevant anymore.~

« What do you mean ? » Tony asked.

~Robert slightly electrocuted himself whiles correcting what was on your desk and changed back to his older counterpart.~

« That's all it took ? » Tony was so surprised.

Sam giggled. « Thor could have fixed the situation in a second. »

~Well, apparently so, sir. He is at the seventh floor right now.~

« Well, let's take a look, we have a tone of questions. »

Before leaving Stark menaced at Fury.

« Banner is under my guard, nobody touches him. You back off with your little experiments. »

« Don't worry, as you pointed out, an older Banner would be too much work to make him cooperate. »

When they found Bruce he was putting a jeans on. He seemed surprised to see them.

« Well, what a journey, are you feeling okay ? » Tony said all empathic cheerful, he brushed of his own question. « I'm sure you are. So what happened ? »

« Can, can we talk later, I need to get my head straight first, I'm a little confuse. »

« Sure want a coffee ? »

« No hmm.. I'm not sure.. why I'm here ? »

« Ooh you must have received a good elect discharge. » Clint frowned.

« What about you go get a nap. »

« Huh, yeah could do me some good. I'm feeling really groggy. »

Since he didn't move Tony considered he was even more disturbed than he expected.

« In your quarter maybe ? » He proposed.

« Yeah, sound good, but where are they already ? » He rubbed his head, really confused.

« Eleventh. » Tony said dumbfounded.

Bruce nodded. Clint gave him a pat on the shoulder as he, Natasha and Sam left.

« Well, warn us when you feel better we have so many questions. » No matter how curious they were a retreat always did some good after every of Bruce transformations, he needed some time to gather himself back in place.

Tony was then the only one to guide Bruce at the elevator.

« Do you want me to come with you ? » He asked, worried.

« No, I'm good, really. »

« Alright. »

He moved his hand forward for a quick fist bump and Bruce gave him one.

« I will see you later Big Guy. »

« Yeah later. » He brushed off as the door closed.

Tony stayed a little too long watching the door of the elevator. Something wasn't right.

Tony didn't bother to knock, he just opened the door where Bruce was. Before he could close what he was watching, Tony had the time to see it was a recording of them and the team.

« Yes ? » Bruce asked, getting up from the bed.

« Do you like that shirt ? » He asked, trying to be casual. Bruce frowned a little.

« Oh yeah, the color is nice. »

Tony ticked, something really wasn't right.

« Who are you ? » He asked, colder this time.

« What do you mean, I'm Bruce, of course. »

« Don't lie, you're not him, who are you ? »

Bruce paused before moving his arms in a 'I give up gesture'.

« What sold me ? »

« Bruce hates this shirt, I remember his face when I showed him it. Never saw disgust being expressed so clearly in someone, and he didn't want to vex me. Also the fist bump, Bruce never replicate he just bump down or up my fist depending on his mood. That's our version of fist bump, but you gave me a normal one. Also you were watching recording from the team, Jarvis told me you've been doing that since your arrived there. Bruce never do that, so I repeat, who are you ? » His voice was even colder and firm. He was not playing at all.

« I'm David. »

« David ? »

« Yeah, David Banner, we met once since you met Bruce, so I don't really know any of you, in the.. Avengers.. I need to catch up. »

« So you thought you could fake Bruce personality ? Who are you what is your intention ? »

« Well, that's what I always do, with our lives I can't have the luxury to live upon my wish or personality, that's not really safe anymore. »

« Where is Bruce. »

David poked his head.

« So what, first Robert, now you ? »

« You saw Robert ? » He exclaimed so surprised he took Tony off guard.

« Yeah, Bruce turned into a child after being the Hulk. »

« Oh well that make so much sense now, why Bruce didn't put any information in our notebook, it's not him who passed me the wheel. » He monologized mostly to himself.

« The wheel ? »

« How long did Robert stayed ? »

« Three-four days, he passed half the time unconscious. »

« Four days, oh shit I'm getting rusty. » He said seeming disappointed in himself.

Tony was done, this whole situation pissed him off. With some aggressivity he pursued.

« I want explanation, Right Now ! »

« Yeah I guess Bruce never said a thing right ? Always up to me to explain this shit. Well, I don't know you, but Bruce seems to.. Trust you ? » He hesitated. « So well, it's simple, it's a dissociative identity disorder. »

« What is that ? » Tony frowned.

« Multiple personality if you want. I'm one of the personalities. »

« How many different personalities Bruce has ? » David shrugged, Tony was sensing he knew the answer but didn't want to tell it, instead he asked questions back.

« Why does Bruce has his own floor ? What are the Avengers ? What is this all about ? »

It was now up to Tony to doubt if he could release the information. But maybe by being honest and open, David would be too. He felt like the version of Bruce before they started to be friends and more open with each other.

« The Avengers are a team that help defend the Earth from threat, Bruce is part of the team. »

« Is it governmental ? »

« No, even if they want to put their hands on it. We still work along side the SHIELD. Bruce has his own floor in my tower, kinda the HQ of the Avengers because he is a member of the team but also my friend. »

« Friend with Stark. » He cracked a smile. « What a fucking joke. »

Tony tried not to look offended. The man he had in front of them could look exactly like Bruce, he wasn't him. What he said wasn't what Bruce thought.

« Is that so surprising ? » He asked.

« Well, you sell weapons to the American Army, and the military always been on our back, so well, being friends with the man who provided resources to hunt you down, is a weird concept for me. Knowing how nasty Stark weapons are. »

« Nasty ? Beside I don't sell weapons anymore. »

« Oh yeah, regular weapons are okay, simple, easy to destroy. The Stark one, a pain in the ass. They do more damage and are more painful. »

« Alright, anyway, when Bruce is going to come back ? » He tried to focus.

« Depends. »

« On what ? »

David didn't answer. He was not easy or relaxed, pretty nervous, like he was ready to fight.

« I'm not your enemy. » He tried to calm the ambiance. Bruce was always kind on the edge of leaving and he felt like David would be like that too.

« Let me be the judge of that. »

« Bruce trust me, you saw the footage, no ? »

« For what I have seen, yes. » He hesitated. Tony took the initiative to show him a more recent footage where he was talking with Fury.

' _Drop it off. We will not let you take him. I will not let you take him. Bruce and all in form as you said are under my protection !'_

David hesitated a little more before giving up. « Fine, let's say I believe you, but let's grab a coffee or something first. »

They walked toward Bruce's personal kitchen and David prepared a pot.

« So I'm sure seeing Robert must have felt weird, isn't it ? » He asked.

« Yeah nobody expected that. »

« Obviously. It's due to our particular nature, after the Gamma incident and all, it plays on the physical aspect along side the mental aspect. That's why, you saw a child for Robert, because he is an actual child. Without that, you would have seen an adult man behave like a child. »

~For this kind of disorder there is always an original mind, which one of you is the original ?~ Jarvis intervened.

« Is this really important ? » Davis asked the AI, it's Tony who answered.

« Yeah ! »

« Robert is. » He said straight before serving them both a cup of coffee.

« Seriously ? »

« Yes. »

« It's not Bruce ? »

« Nope. »

« And what, you're just polluting his mind ? » He said a little harsh and confused.

« Oh no, not at all. Robert doesn't want to come out, the reality is a nightmare for him. »

« We've been known. »

« Not difficult. Look, Bruce is the first who came out.. wait, no, he was the second. » David paused. « The thing is the Hulk couldn't take place as more than a concept, he is too big, it lacked a key. But on.. wait no.. actually that's Bruce who came out first.. sort of.. like, the other guy existed as a concept before Bruce, but it's Bruce who took form before him.. well, whatever. For a time, Robert and Bruce coexisted and had a regular in and out, they are extremely similar and the change of the wheel never really caused problem because they shared most of their memories together, until it snapped and Robert backed off in the mind and Bruce took the main when they were seven. And he kept the main until now, well, kinda, the Other Guy fight for it. »

« Are you really saying that The Hulk is part of your identity disorder ? » David shrugged.

« Sort of. He's not regular at all. He was a concept that wandered around, Bruce didn't think it had an actual personality nor that it could ever materialized. It was like.. a shape.. a wish, a part of his mind. »

« A wish ? Are you saying Bruce wished the Hulk ? » Tony cut, both confused and outraged by the word. « Because that's unbelievable. »

« I know. But really before the incident the Hulk was just, like I said a form wandering around our mind, the desire to punch back to what we lived. He always followed Bruce the most, because he is the most tangled with Robert, they're like a Cerberus with common roots. I know that if Bruce can't really remember his time as the Hulk he still has images, sounds, feelings, it's blurry but it's there. And it's kinda the same for the Other Guy. Me, I'm a more direct snap. Bruce and I have to share information and memories through a notebook, to avoid putting ourselves in danger, or just really keep up with the life of the others. »

Tony thought a moment and David let him, drinking his coffee.

« When did you appear ? » Tony asked next.

« Bruce's teenage years, something around fifteen. We kind of shared the wheel before the incident, now, I'm just backup, Bruce doesn't let me the place much anymore, just when he can't keep up. »

« It's Bruce who decides who come out ? »

« Sort of. There's a reason why it's me who came out after Robert instead of Bruce ? »

« I'm very interested by the answers. »

« I'm sure. Well, Bruce can't overwrite Robert, they're too similar, he gets lost in the minds and memories when he tries, only me and the Other Guy can overwrite Robert. Robert can't overwrite anybody. The Hulk is the only one who can grant access to Robert, actually he can pass and overwrite anybody. Bruce can do that too, except with Robert, and I can't do anything except overwrite Robert. And then Bruce can overwrite me, and take back his place as the main. »

« Seem complicated. »

« Not that much. »

« So you will stay until Bruce overwrite you ? How long does it last ? »

« Already tired of me Stark ? » He chuckled a little. « Can be in ten minutes or two weeks, it depends, if he bickers with the Other Guy, or got lost trying to overwrite Robert. »

« I'm very curious about how you can lose yourself in the mind. »

David shrugged. None of them talked for a moment, just enjoying the coffee and both trying to figure out how.

« Alright. Well, as long as you're around, you can stay here the whole time, I don't know what you do, but there are plenty of labs and workshops in the tower, you can use them, like Bruce would. He is my friend, and hm, as I said, whatever for or whoever Bruce become, they're under my protection, I won't let someone hurt him or hurt you. But, huh, what should we say to the rest of the team ? Do you want to reveal that or keep playing Bruce the time he comes back ? »

« Depend, how do you think the team would react to.. » He paused and frowned.

« What ? »

« Well, you if want to finish this convo you can always ask Bruce to pass me back the wheel. »

He got up and grabbed the counter. He seemed lost a moment and despite Tony effort to catch his attention he stayed like that three minutes before his body moved normally. Bruce frowned and rubbed his forehead.

« Ok, this is so weird. » Tony said.

« What ? » He asked in confusion.

« You don't have memories of what happened at all ? »

« Not really. » He took the coffee in front of him. « I guess we were having coffee. »

« Well, it was not with you I was having coffee. » Tony says gently, he moved his fist forward and Bruce bumped it down without thinking. It reassured the billionaire.

« Short version, we saw Robert, and I've just seen David. »

« Oh. »

« Oh yeah, maybe you could have told me you have this mental illness. »

« Well, it didn't come up in any conversation, so.. »

« That's your excuse ? Really ? » Tony dramatized playfully. Bruce cracked a laugh at that.

« Oh my God, how did it go ? What happened ? »

« Well, David was a little cold and distant but.. »

« No, I'm talking about Robert, I know David can handle. » He touched his chest and saw what he was wearing. His expression of disgust made Tony smile. Yeah, it was really Bruce. « Wait I go change, and you tell me everything. »

Tony laughed. He got up and hugged Bruce.

« I'm glad you're back. »

« Hope I didn't scare someone. »

« No, but Robert made a habit to run into people. » Bruce frowned. « I will show you the footage. But huh, we did fine. »

« Good. »

Bruce walked toward his chamber to grab another shirt in his dresser. Followed by Tony who quickly grabbed his phone to show Bruce the picture where Clint and Robert were sleeping together.

« Oh my God, he really did that. »

« Oh yeah, he had been amazing with Robert, I think he has or had children or something because really it was so natural for him. »

« I will have to thank him for that. »

« Oh also, message from David, would be good if you passed him the wheel a little more often. And hum, also, because I want to be his friend too. »

« Always eager to know everything about me, huh ? » Bruce said as passed his head inside a sweat.

« What can I say ? I want to know everything about my favorite genius. »

Bruce paused a moment, lost in his thought.

« Well, I guess my life is stable enough to allow this back. »

« Yes. »

« You're making a happy one there, he's going to enjoy doing something else than running all the time. » He said with a chuckle before his face went blank. « Shit, how am I going to explain that to the team ? » Tony patted his shoulder, supportive. They would figure something out.

 **End.**


End file.
